"On the grand scale of things, the project does not come close to filling the shoes of its predecessor. But it does give us a bag of tricks and treats to savor at the end of a hot summer."
One of the biggest trends in cinema right now is remakes. This makes perfect sense with the dissemination of sequels at the same time. Sometimes it is all about familiarity and giving the audience content with which they are already acquainted. Remakes have become so prevalent and criticized, that filmmakers have gone so far to refer to them as "re-imaginings" in order to stay away from the dreaded "remake" terminology. One of these recent re-imaginings is Rob Zombie's take on the John Carpenter classic Halloween. Indeed the film is reconfigured through the eyes of the same man who brought us relentless brutality in his prior outings House of 1,000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects. But is it more reliant on tricks or treats?
If horror buffs can recall the original 1978 Halloween, we were previously given little insight into life of young Michael Myers. In just a couple of minutes, it did become clear that he brutally murdered his elder sister for no reason except a mysterious desire to kill. In bringing Halloween back to the big screen, this is where Zombie decides to fill in the gaps. The first half of Halloween shows us the life of Michael (Daeg Faerch) as a 10-year-old boy. His parents are not functional suburbanites, but a clan of sweaty, obnoxious alcoholics. There is his unshaven, disheveled stepfather Ronnie (William Forsythe) who sits around the house verbally and physically abusing his wife and her children. Mother Deborah (Sheri Moon Zombie) is a stripper with a heart of gold and a soft spot for her little Michael. His older sister Judith (Hanna Hall) is not much better as she prefers to have sex with her hippie boyfriend rather than take Michael trick or treating. With the white trash Myers family dropping profanities and flipping each other off every second, they are much like the Firefly clan from The Devil's Rejects had they decided to take it easy on murdering the innocent.
Such a harsh home life takes a toll on Michael and he blows his gasket on Halloween evening. He takes it upon himself to kill his hated relatives sparing his mother and baby sister. This lands him in a psychiatric institution under the care of Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcom McDowell). Hiding behind his masks, Michael's killing side does not stay contained and leaves him trapped in psychological hell for 11 years.
The second half of the film is more like a completely different film. In fact, this is technically when the remake of Halloween begins. Michael (Tyler Mane) is now a mute behemoth in chains. And guess what? He escapes from the institution to track down his long lost baby sister. His escape is accomplished in true Rob Zombie spirit by ensuring that all security guards are offed grotesquely. The streets of Haddonfield, Illinois are not safe as Michael sets his sights on baby sis, Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton).
As a true horror fan, the Halloween remake was one of my most anticipated films for 2007. Instead of an amateur music video director helming the project, gruesome horror buff and rocker Rob Zombie was brought on board. How can this not spark one's curiosity? Unfortunately, not even someone who knows what he or she is doing can overcome the challenging of flawlessly recreating a classic. Halloween is not a bad movie, but it is not necessarily good either. The past and present segments play like entirely different films, and this can be rather baffling. During the childhood segment, we are welcomed into Rob Zombie's world in addition to Michael Myer's world. There is the 1970s rock soundtrack and characters who use the word f*ck as if it is an article. Those familiar with Zombie's prior work would surely acknowledge that his style of horror is sadistic and merciless. Learning from my viewing experience of The Devil's Rejects, I buckled myself in and anticipated servings of pain. Indeed Zombie does dish it out in this first half of the film. The director horrifies by making us watch and listen to unspeakable acts. One victim gets his skull bashed in over and over with a tree trunk. Another victim drowns in his own blood with duct tape over his mouth after getting his throat slit. These are the types of images that would even upset your average fan of popcorn slashers. Yet I couldn't help but go along with Zombie's gutsy agenda.
After becoming acquainted with this unsettling Rob Zombie world, we are brought into a bizarro John Carpenter world. When Michael Myers is fully-grown, the director strives to recreate Carpenter's vision rather than bringing his own recipe to the table. Yes, there is a unique ending that I will not discuss, but Zombie spends much of the time doing what Gus Van Sant did in his homage to Hitchcock's Psycho. Camera shots and lines of dialogue from the original film are reused, and Carpenter's haunting score fades in at impeccable times. Even the violence becomes digestible. Of course this may be due to the desensitization that takes place in the first half.
This is a movie that leaves me truly torn. It seems as though great pressure was exerted on Rob Zombie to do something with a mush-admired classic. Michael's childhood story could have worked as a film by itself, and the story of grown-up Michael seems rather attached and rushed. After becoming used to the sadism of the first half, the second half is even sluggish at times. This is especially so since most of the actions are predictable based on the original source material. Then again, I may be one of the few who is bothered with this sense of familiarity. What I do want to make clear is that this is not a negative review discouraging fans to stay away. Unlike many remakes, this is effectively horrifying and enjoyable. Plus, Rob Zombie proves himself once again to be an accomplished director with a keen eye for the horror genre aesthetic. He even casts horror staples such as Brad Dourif, Dee Wallace, and Bill Moseley to show off his education in character actor identification. Malcom McDowell is especially winning as the ideal candidate to channel the late Donald Pleasance. I am positive that those seeking a horror fix will not walk away unfulfilled. On the grand scale of things, the project does not come close to filling the shoes of its predecessor. But it does give us a bag of tricks and treats to savor at the end of a hot summer.
Questions? Comments? Just want to talk movies? Drop me a line at dodd@movieweb.com
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More Theatrical Reviews
"Although falling into some remake cliches, Rob Zombie does exactly what John Carpenter told him: make it your own." ByMatt Sheehan
"If you're a fan of slasher films, then by all means give Halloween a look. It's big, loud and clumsy but it's a lot of fun too. It'll make you cringe and look away from the screen, and afterall - isn't that what you want out of a horror movie?" ByAdam Frazier
"While I did enjoy this version more than the first; I wish that Zombie would have kept with his version of Michael, instead of harkening back to Carpenter's original work." ByBryan Yentz
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